Back Country Cat Skiing Winter Park, Colorado

We here at Winter Park Lodging Company were able to finally get out and take our first, this year, snow cat skiing trip with Powder Addiction.  Some very fun skiing and we had great weather and snow conditions.  The trip was full with eleven guys and a gal with the cat driver and two powder guides.  It was Winter Park local day at Powder Addiction.

It was almost everyones first trip cat skiing and there were some serious rippin’ skiers and boarders for all being newbies.  The guides were Greg, Hogo with Mr. Adam Burke taking the control of the snow cat.  I didn’t get all the names of the ski crew but I know I was there with, Pam, Nigel, Dave (dt), Paul, Pete birthday boy), Ryan, CW and Jeremy.  I think we did about ten runs and we were all pretty worked at the end of the day.  As I said it was a great day of skiing.

Tee above video was shot with the Contour HD 1080p helmet cam.  The compression that You Tube does doesn’t do the quality of footage justice.  Anywho, take a watch of the ski video I hope it gets you psyched to do some skiing.  Most of the footage in the video is shot on the lower half of Jones Pass as I think tree skiing come across a little better on video.  Artists on the video are Sun 60, X, Jesus and the Mary Chain and The Sugarcubes.

If you have not been Cat Skiing or haven’t been up to Jones Pass with Powder Addiction you are missing out.  Just an hour drive from Denver this is some of the best skiing to be found in all of Colorado.  As Warren Miller says” if you don’t do it this year, you will just be another year older when you do”.

Colorado Snowcat Skiing

Powder Addiction is back for year number two with a new snowcat and a frequent rider program. The Winter Park Village based snow cat operation provides guided snowcat skiing on Jones Pass right off of US Highway 40.

We at Winter Park Lodging Company were able to take a couple of trips up with Powder Addiction and the operation and skiing were phenomenal.  If you have any interest in back-country powder skiing this is a must.

Anywho, here is the details on Powder Addictions new snowcat and frequent rider program:

New snowcat for the 2010-2011 Season.

We have purchased a newer machine and have just finished ordering a custom passenger cabin for it. The new machine is a 2007 Bombardier BR 350. This machine has 350 horsepower compared to the 150 horsepower of the LMC machine we used last winter. More than twice as powerful! This machine is sweet and it will go up all of our terrain without slowing down or struggling on the steep hills. We should be able to average 12-13 miles per hour (MPH). The old LMC averaged about 4-5 MPH. We expect to be able to get an additional 2-3 runs per day!

Prices will remain the same this winter even with the investment of a sweet new snowcat. We are adding a new frequent skier incentive. For every 5 seats you buy the 6th one will be free! This will be good during one season only. We are now taking reservations for the 2010-2011 Season. Get your reservations now and make sure you do not miss out on what promises to be a fantastic season.

Please contact us via email to book your spots for this winter. I will call you back within a couple of days. No one is in the office during the summer but we will get back to you as soon as possible.

It has been a very wet the last few weeks here in Grand County. We can only hope that we get this much precipitation this winter especially in November and December.

Think Snow!

Yes it is August but now is the time to plan your trip to Winter Park for some SNOWCAT SKIING.  Let Winter Park Lodging Company plan your excursion and ski vacation.

Check out the above picture, that is yours truly in the red jacket looking at the ground.  Also in the pic are noted locals Ed Reagner, Mike Ayers (skippy), Craig Van Way, Chase and Steve Hogan and some other local Winter Park hooligans.

This Saturday January 30th there is a full moon cross country skiing event at Pole Creek Golf Club.  Time is from 5:30PM to 8PM.

Full moon snowshoe or cross country ski at Pole Creek Golf Course. Trails for all abilities and free hot chocolate and schnapps out on the course.

Dinner after at Bistro 28 with homemade pastas and other menu selections priced at $8.  Reservations recommended at 970.887.9797

Dinner every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at Bistro 28 Burger and a beer/wine – Prime rib and Pasta specials.

Come see Pole Creek in a different light. Moonlight that is!  The weather forecast looks good and there is nothing better than cross country skiing, hot chocolate and schnapps on a Saturday night.  After you get a workout in, belly up to Bistro 28′s bar and have another schnapps and a plate of homemade pasta.

Get outside and enjoy the Colorado winter.

Exceler8s Festival Winter Park

The second annual Excler8s Festival will be held at Winter Park Resort February 24 – 26, 2010.  What is the Exceler8s festival? Well, here is from their website:

The Exceler8s Festival seeks to bring the community together in support of The Nature Conservancy’s Colorado River Basin Project for a 2 ½-day charity ski event. While giving back to this organization, participants will have the option of having fun on the slopes of Winter Park Resort or experiencing the challenges of Jones Pass with guided back-country and Cat skiing.

The Exceler8s Festival is a fundraiser for the Colorado River Project.

Sounds like a good time for a worthy cause.  Ski Jones Pass with Powder Addiction or make some turns at Winter Park Resort in late February?  That is just up our alley here at Winter Park Lodging Company.  We wish the Ecceler8s team success with their second annual festival and hope they are able to raise lots of dinero for the Colorado River Project.

Good Luck!